Its recent move into a new 30,000-sq.-ft. manufacturing and headquarters facility better positions this St. Louis-based family business to capitalize on diversification efforts.
Initially, Dan Abel didn’t envision overseeing a plant turning out 500 different types of confections and servicing nine retail shops, hundreds of wholesale accounts and several private-label and contract manufacturing agreements.
After all, the man who in the early 1980s spent two years working seven days a week at Gorant Candies in Ohio just to hone his candy making skills, simply wanted to return to St. Louis to start his own chocolate business.